Benefits of British-American educational exchange

The authors describe an ongoing student and faculty exchange program between the School of Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire and the College of Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU). They review the genesis and nature of the exchange agreement, and discuss the perceived strengths of an engineering education provided by Hertfordshire and perceived strengths of a WVU engineering education. Hertfordshire´s perceived strengths include closer faculty ties to industry, an orientation toward the practice of engineering, an emphasis on design including interdisciplinary team design, smaller classes with more personal attention, and integrated, holistic approach to instruction. WVU´s perceived strengths include an emphasis on engineering science and rigorous analysis, a strong theoretical orientation of the faculty, and a wide range of technical and nontechnical topics offered. It is argued that these differences benefit both the students and faculty who participate in the exchange, and their associates who do not. Besides providing an enhanced technical education for the exchanged students, it is believed that all exchange participants benefit from the reassessment of one´s culture that occurs when one has to function as part of another culture. In the first year of the exchange five students participated for an academic year and two faculty members for one semester. Their experiences are reviewed, including the academic hurdles which were overcome in teaching and learning within a significantly different educational system